COMADRONAS EN SANTA EULALIA

Hi! It's Brenda writing to you again.

 I would have to say, personally, this was the most gratifying day so far. Mostly because we (even those of us coming here for the first time to Santa Eulalia). have become friends with these most amazingly compassionate, caring, friendly and welcoming team of  nurse professionals, comadronas (lay midwives), and one physician.

We had the privilege of working with them the past 3 days (including that very fun soccer game on the last night!)What an absolutely incredible community, supporting these women who live in very remote areas (many whose family members walk/run hours to reach the CAP to ask for an ambulance and "enfermera profesional" - their equivalent of a very experienced and talented Nurse Practitioner to come out to  a home down a steep mountainside where there is a birth complication) in order to save someone's life.

Today we spent the morning at a very nice space at their small convention center in Santa Eulalia teaching a "Capacitacion" or training for the local comadronas.  We started the session with another dramatization of a birth followed by a postpartum hemorrhage (where I had the opportunity to star as the birthing then bleeding patient). Once again the comadrona saved the day when the Doctor Tonto could not figure out what to do for the bleeding.

Then, we began working mostly in small groups for stations to teach again about nutrition, danger signs of pregnancy, postpartum hemorrhage, breech delivery, shoulder dystocia, etc. We all felt comfortable in our teaching roles after having done this with the Jacaltenango community last week. We were all impressed with the 40+ group of comadronas (including 2 men comadrones!) who seemed very attentive and engaged -- practicing hands on skills, asking questions and sharing stories.  Many had years of experience (20-55years) while others were apprentices with 0-2 years.
We had a few interpreters to help us translate from Spanish to Q'anob'al, and some of the comadronas who were bilingual also helped.

In the end, we were generously thanked by many individuals' testimony of how they feel we have helped them and we were presented with a lovely handmade wall hanging personalized about our visit.


What a way to feel welcomed and appreciated !  I honestly can't wait to come again in the future.

--Brenda